Griffothos
by to be a cat
Summary: Hornet, from the Thief Lord, is living in the world of Algaesia. She lives in a world where humans are captured and injected. They are called Inferiai. She and Scipio race to unravel the mystery of the Griffothos, the organization created the Inferiai.
1. Prologue: Origin of Griffothos

YEAR 2000 LD--

A dark lab, glowing screens, a whisper.

"Hmm…It's not ready…not yet."

An old, run-down building. A sign with faded letters: _Team Griffon_. A man.

He was old, with brown-black hair with streaks of white. He had a hawk-nose with piercing blue eyes, a mustache, a beard, and thick eyebrows. Like most scientists, he wore a plain, white lab coat. His name was Dr. Henry Johnson, a plain, uninteresting name. A name, however, that would become famous after his death, thousands of thousands of thousands of years in the future.

He would be the man to create a name that would be feared. A name to be whispered and not spoken, a name that would strike fear into people's hearts. _Griffothos_.

But, in spite of all this, Dr. Henry Johnson was not what you would call, the face of evil. He was a doctor, a scientist. He and his team would discover the means of creating another race of beings. A race of beings that lived underground. They would be called the _inferiai_. In the world of Algaesia, the inferiai would toil and the humans would benefit. But this was not what you might think. You might think that the humans had it easy, but you are terribly wrong.

Dr. Johnson cleared his throat. He stood in front of a room full of expectant men, fifty-one in all. They were all dedicated scientists and believed in the good of society. He cleared his throat again and finally spoke.

"Men, this is the final grant the government will provide us. This is it. We must use it wisely. Fredrick, take six of the best men with you to experimental room, number three. I will join you shortly. Everyone else, you know the routine."

The room was filled with a shocked silence. The _Doctor_ would work side by side with them? This was unheard of. He was the person who stayed in his office monitoring their progress with computers, researching, creating complex plans and long strings of incomprehensible formulas, and dealt with the government.

The men finally pulled themselves together. Chairs dragged against the once-white floor. Fredrick called out,

"Okay…Lee, Smith, Brown, Yamala, and uh…Yorik…Let me see. Um…Hendrick?"

Dr. Johnson gave a nod of approval and together the men trooped into the room marked with the number "3". The other men gave sighs of disapproval and dark mutters as they sorted themselves out into the other nine rooms.

Two days later, a man named Gregory Blake was promoted. He was now allowed to come into room three. Dr. Johnson smiled as he talked with Blake. Blake nodded but did not smile. The other men were on lunch break. Blake had finished his meal first, unfortunately.

"Blake and I shall proceed first into the experimental rooms. The members of room three"-he glanced purposely at the seven others-"will also join me. The rest of you may take ten minutes until you return to your positions," ordered the Doctor.

Fredrick stood and the six others followed his example. The nine men disappeared once more into room three.

Gregory Blake did not return home that day. Dr. Johnson sent an email to his worried wife, explaining he was still at the lab and needed to stay for a while. His wife, Hillary, did not accept this explanation.

Six days later, at two in the afternoon, Gregory Blake was dropped off by a black car in front of his house. He got out and shut the car door. Dr. Johnson, in the driver seat, whispered to him and then promptly drove off.

Blake walked to his front door and knocked and knocked. His wife was not home. That morning, she had left for work, on the edge of a nervous breakdown. When she returned at five thirty, Blake was still knocking and his knuckles were red and raw. She led him into the house and broke down sobbing at her husband's zombie-like state.

Dr. Johnson came to Mrs. Blake the next morning.

"Mrs. Blake, please, calm down. There is a reasonable explanation for your husband's behavior. He has been injected with a fluid that Team Griffon has created," Dr. Johnson comforted. "Do not worry. In fact, why don't you and your husband come with me?"

She walked into the car trembling, leading her husband by his hand. The car door slammed and the black car drove off to the laboratory. They were never seen again.

Dr. Johnson closed the laboratory several days later. It was a sudden decision. He apologetically explained that the experiments had been a failure and all the men drove home that night jobless.

All the men except Blake and the seven men who had been involved in room three. They stayed. Only Fredrick and Yorik were spared the shot of the mysterious fluid. Fredrick was spared because he had thought of the idea and convinced Dr. Johnson to go along with it and Yorik because he had been Fredrick's most loyal supporter. All the rest opposed the plan.

Dr. Johnson's remaining years were spent creating a network of the zombie-like humans, now called inferiai. Their purpose was to do the work of humans. One of the last things he did was get government approval of this network of inferai under two conditions. The first condition was that Team Griffon would use dangerous criminals as inferiai and the second condition was that the inferiai would work completely underground. Dr. Johnson agreed. Ten days later, he died.

Fredrick then took over Team Griffon. Most of his life was spent created the underground system. About one million criminals were injected and turned into inferiai. They were the ones who toiled underground and built the underground world. The name Team Griffon was changed to Griffothos. Humans started to disappear. And thus, started the reign of terror, the reign of Griffithos.


	2. Chapter 1: The Stranger From the Dark

YEAR 5966 LD—

Hornet glanced at the holographic screen in a passing store window. She froze and backtracked, almost involuntarily.

Another five people had been taken by the Griffothos. That was no big deal. After all, every week several people were taken. But in the world of Algaesia, the disappearances only mattered if you knew the person who had been taken.

"A boy of age seventeen named Bill Horston has mysteriously disappeared overnight. That makes a total of five this week. There is no doubt of where he has gone. Let us have a moment of silence for this poor boy," said the news woman smiling.

Hornet knew that boy. She knew him and thought she loved him and that woman was just smiling and smiling.

_She was so fake, _she thought, _with her fake smile, too-white teeth, and a face lathered with makeup._

Hornet stared at the screen and a picture of the boy appeared with the caption, BILL HORSTON, written underneath it.

It was a boy she knew and admired. He was the boy who worked in the grocery store, or at least that's what she thought. She liked the way he would sit on the old, yellow crates thoughtfully or how he would lean against the counter a book in one hand. He had an intelligent kind of face. He had brown chocolaty eyes and hair with a light sprinkle of freckles.

Hornet stood in the street thinking about the boy whose name she had never known. _Bill. Bill Horston._

A chilly September wind swept through the street. Hornet glanced around. The street was full cars. Only a few were walking on the sidewalk but the few walked quickly and purposefully. They had no time to stop or slow down.

This was usual for the city of Miropolis. No one had the time to stay and enjoy things anymore. In Miropolis, the people had the habit of thinking those who were idle, were more likely to be taken by the Griffothos. The only time for fun were at places where people were meant to gather such as restaurants or karaoke rooms.

Hornet shivered. Was it from the wind or from thinking that word, Griffothos? Since she was born, people had either trembled or turned pale from that name. No one knew when a friend or relative would be taken; no one knew who would be turned into an inferiai next. It was strange. People nowadays would all be relaxed and all they would do is have fun. But one small remark about Griffothos would cause havoc.

The storekeeper opened the door. It was a rather large woman. A nametag revealed her name to be Beatrice.

"Whaddya want? Are ya goin' ta stand there all day?" she asked, suspiciously.

Hornet sighed. Another fact about Miropolis was that everyone was suspicious of everyone. No one could be trusted these days.

"No, I was just thinking," she explained.

Beatrice closed the shop door behind her. She looked down the nearly empty street and sighed.

"Aye, my business has really been bad these days. Ev'ryone stays at home 'n orders holographic screens. All the big companies get the profits. I'm just a drowning ant in the river of economy. Say, why doncha come on in? It's quite cold out 'ere," boomed Beatrice.

A man with black sunglasses and hair stared out the window at the two women standing and chatting. His grease black hair shined. One was a pompous, fat woman with a red apron and skirt. The other was a slender girl. She looked about fifteen possibly sixteen. Her long, brown hair was skillfully braided back in a long, thin braid that ended in something resembling a long stinger. She had on jeans and a loose t-shirt hung about her thin shoulders. She was complete with a small, red satchel that clung to her shoulders like a parasite.

The man's car came to an automatic stop as did all the cars on the street. All the cars looked exactly the same. They were automatically-driven, silver beetles. They hovered slightly above the ground. He rolled down the window. He heard a glimpse of the girl's words.

Her voice was hoarse yet soft and kind.

"Oh no, I can't. I must go. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, little 'un. Oh, what's your name?"

"Call me Hornet."

"Goodbye, Hornet!"

The man scribbled down the name, Hornet into a small, black notebook and tucked it back in his pocket, a smile playing around his lips. Gold letters on the cover spelled out the word, _Griffothos_.

"Say goodbye, little Hornet," he muttered.

Hornet sat down on the crate with a sigh. She was in the grocery store in which Bill had worked in. Her satchel was on her lap. She rummaged inside and brought out a book. Its faded covers showed its age. The black letters, WITHDRAWAL, were stamped across the binding.

Hornet fiddled with it a little, but she wasn't in the mood to read.

"Hornet?"

A soft, uncertain voice spoke. Hornet looked up and saw a boy. He was young, about ten or so?

"Um, I need help. Are you called Hornet?" the boy inquired again and nervously glanced around. Hornet followed his gaze to a man whose name might have as well been BLACK with capital letters.

He had black hair, greased back with black sunglasses a black mustache, complete with a black suit and shoes. Hornet had a suspicious feeling that his little black eyes were locked onto her.

"Please come. If you're Hornet," the boy begged.

Hornet stood, keeping a wary eye on the man.

"Right, what do you want?" she asked.

"Come," he repeated.

Hornet surveyed the boy critically. He had on a dirty, white shirt with pants equally soiled. His pants' pocket bulged with some unknown object, most likely candy. He took his grubby hand in his and led her out of the store.

"Where are we going?" Hornet said, surprised at his unnaturally strong grip.

The boy did not answer and instead pulled even harder. They were reaching the entrance of one of the alleyways crisscrossing the city of Miropolis.

"Help!" called Hornet, now being dragged to the alley by this strange boy.

They reached the alley and the boy dragged her in. He pushed her down the alley and they soon reached a dead end. He plunked her down and pulled Hornet's satchel out of her hands.

"That's mine!" she protested.

She tried to stand back up angrily but the boy pushed her back down and pulled some thick rope and a white cloth out of his pocket. He promptly took her wrists and tied them together so fast, Hornet wouldn't be surprised if he had done this dozens of times before.

She kicked out fast and hard, realizing the danger she was in. He grunted in pain, but otherwise took no notice. He skillfully wrapped the white cloth around her head and mouth and tied it at the base of her skull.

"Mmmm!" she cried, furious at this innocent-looking boy who had overpowered her.

The man dressed in black stepped out of the shadows and smiled coldly.

Hornet reacted so furiously that she didn't know she had tried to both kick him and curse him. He had easily stepped out of her reach and laughed lightly.

"Were you about to call me names?" he inquired. He looked amused. "I would really advise against it. It would be a shame if you were hurt, now wouldn't it?"

Hornet lashed out again in retaliation, burning with anger. Quick as a flash, the man held a small pistol against her head. He was no longer amused.

"She is to full of anger. The shot won't subdue her. Conner, she is most likely unable to become an inferiai. We must kill her. Hurry back to sector L-2. I'll join you shortly," spoke the man dressed in black, addressing the boy, Conner.

_Why do you have to kill me?! _thought Hornet furiously. _What's the point?!_

The man as if reading her mind said, "I'm killing you for fun, Hornet. You hear? For. Fun."

He laughed again. Hornet hated this cold-blooded man. She hated his amused expression, as if he was looking down on everyone, she hated his superior laugh, and most of all, she hated his voice. It was like a snake, a slimy, slithering snake.

She flinched. The man had loaded his old-fashioned gun. _Why didn't he just use lasers, like everyone else in this godforsaken society?_

He aimed. The boy called Conner left. Hornet glared at him fiercely. _I hate you._ He seemed to enjoy her spite. He toyed with the gun and suddenly jabbed it into her neck reaching for the trigger. And fired.

Hornet screamed through the cloth blocking her mouth. When she realized she was not feeling any pain, she looked up. The man donned in black lay on the floor, out cold for the moment. The cloth fell away from her mouth and the ties around her wrists broke away. She saw a knife glinting. Following the hand that held it, she gazed into the face of a young man.

The masked man stood over her, a smile skirting his lips.

"Who-who are you?" Hornet asked, the question dying on her lips. He took of his mask, revealing a handsome face.

"Good day," he said. "Did I startle you?"


	3. Chapter 2: Scipio

"Who…who are you?" Hornet asked, the question sticking to her throat.

The man smiled, the corners of his mouth curling up. He had black hair, black as a raven. His mask, which he now took off with a flourish, covered only half his face. It had a crooked nose, whose final result gave the man an eerie birdlike look. The mask had hidden his eyes, but now Hornet could see them clearly and she wished she hadn't.

They were deep eyes. Hornet could not distinguish the color from its dark depths. Were they a deep purple? Or the darkest of browns? Or the color of the depths of the sea? Anyone could lose themselves in those beautiful eyes. But not Hornet. Her will was strong enough to resist this man's eyes.

"My name is Scipio," Hornet heard the man saying.

He laughed, playfully.

"Um, oh, thank you…you know, for saving me," Hornet said with gratitude. Her voice was sticking to her throat again.

"Don't worry," Scipio said winking, "It happens to everybody."

Hornet felt a surge of anger and confusion. Was this man talking about her nearly being killed? Or was it her voice wavering out of control?

"I sent my friend to follow the boy, Conner, or whatever," Scipio remarked. Hornet heard a hint of boredom in his voice.

"Um, shouldn't you be following after him, now that you saved me?" Hornet questioned casually.

"Let's go then!" laughed Scipio and took her by the hand.

_He is like a boy, the way he acts, _thought Hornet. She let herself be led by this handsome stranger who talked as if he had known her like they were good friends.

"How old are you?" he asked, almost playfully.

"Sixteen."

Scipio seemed surprised.

"I'm nineteen, almost twenty."

Hornet was surprised, too.

"You're young, for your looks," she commented dryly.

She took her hand out of his and they walked side by side for awhile. Hornet realized she was both hungry and thirsty. Coincidentally, Scipio seemed to realize the same thing.

"Let's eat. I'm starving," he said, grinning.

Hornet looked at his handsome face, and like any other girl being smiled at by a handsome guy, she blushed. When she felt the color rise in her cheeks, she became furious at herself. She didn't even like this cocky stranger.

"No!" she angrily retorted.

They walked in silence. Hornet was starving and irritable with each passing step. The alleyways were a maze and she didn't have any idea where they were going.

"Okay, I'm hungry," she grumbled.

Scipio laughed. Hornet immediately regretted saying anything at all. They kept walking. Scipio kept chortling to himself. Hornet was about to explode.

Suddenly, without warning, dark shapes fell from the sky. They straightened forming a circle around Hornet and Scipio. Scipio drew Hornet closer to him, protecting her. Hornet gripped her satchel tightly, ready to use it as a weapon.

"Half-inferiai," muttered Scipio. "They are only slightly injected so that they aren't as mindless. Makes them useful for above-ground purposes. They look and act like regular humans."

Scipio was right. Hornet inspected them. They looked like regular humans, but the way they seemed so stiff and quiet gave them away.

"Innocent prey walking around in the dark? It seems we have another to add to our ranks," drawled a half-inferiai. This seemed like a well-rehearsed line.

_He must say it dozens of times to whoever is their next victim_, thought Hornet. Her mind raced. There seemed no way out.

"There's no use talking to them," Scipio hissed out of the corner of his mouth, "Their only trained to bring back unconscious victims."

He bawled up his fists and tensed. His eyes focused and lit with an unconscious light. He seemed alive in the face of danger. Hornet looked at him, wondering if he only felt alive when he fought.

"Okay, here's the plan," Hornet muttered to him. "See that small guy, off to the side. We attack him and run."

Scipio frowned. He wanted to fight, but reluctantly nodded.

"Now!"

They sprinted. Scipio swung his fists and Hornet lunged with her satchel. Fist and satchel met and Scipio found his hand bruised and tangled in the straps of Hornet's miniature backpack. He cursed and kicked out. The man fell and they both raced for freedom.

"Just your luck to try to be captured twice in one night," grimaced Scipio, his eyes luminescent and shining with the thrill of peril.

Hornet didn't answer and just ran faster. Scipio released his hand and felt it wincing. Hornet grabbed his arm and swerved into another corner. She tripped and they fell.

"Don't worry. They won't follow," gasped Scipio, "They're trained to catch people who will voluntarily go with them. We're safe."

They rested and Hornet led Scipio to the alleyway entrance.

"Let's get out of here," she moaned. "Now I'm tired and hungry."

-------

Salin got to his feet, wincing as he felt the lump on his head. That person, whoever it was, had a nerve to slam him over the head and get away with his entertainment.

Salin started to limp away. He dusted off his black jacket cursing.

"What a day," he griped.

He finally got to his car and noticed two people getting out of the other alleyway. It was that girl and someone was with her!

Salin glared at the man. _He must have knocked me down_, he thought savagely.

He regained his composure and got into the car. He noticed the note he had scribbled earlier. _Hornet_. He took deep breaths to calm himself down. He scrunched up the paper and threw it out the window. The two people had not noticed him. He rolled down the window.

"Want to get a bite? You can spend the night at my place!"

"Why you-! Have some shame! I'm a girl!"

"So?"

"Never mind. It's okay, I have a place I can stay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Salin waited impatiently. He needed the man's name.

"Do you have any money for food, uh, Scipio?"

"You want my money?"

Slain rolled the window up satisfied. He scribbled down the name hastily in the little black booklet. His head was starting to throb. He started the engine and straightened, trying to look dignified. He punched the gas pedal with his foot and roared away. He smiled.

Vengeance was sweet.


	4. Chapter 3: The Necklace

Hornet tried to eat with dignity but she was starving. Watching Scipio shovel down his food made her want to follow his appetizing example. But she had questions to ask. She ate and ate and still Scipio continued his feast. Finally, she put down her spoon, as she had just been eating a type of chicken soup.

Scipio looked up.

"Eat," he managed to say through the food already occupying his mouth and gestured toward her soup.

When Hornet did not move, Scipio looked up again frowning.

"We need to talk," said Hornet.

Scipio nodded and continued eating. Hornet sat patiently and after he showed no signs of slowing down, she got up.

"Um…bye," she waved, halfheartedly. _He doesn't get a hint does he? Oh, all he does is keep eating, that pig!_

She walked to the door, pulled it open, and crossed the threshold. Once the door was closed did she commence to storming away.

Hornet was an orphan. Her only belongings were a small red satchel, a unique necklace given to her by Mrs. Bumble, the clothes she wore, and about four journals. She was getting to the end of the fourth journal and hoped to buy a new one with the little savings she had left. Her satchel, as of now, held a small wad of money, three books, and a glass orb.

The glass orb was about the size of two large hands cupped together. Hornet had bought it this morning (come to think of it) from a gypsy woman who had told her that it brought the holder good luck.

Mrs. Bumble was a kindly old woman who had taken care of Hornet since birth. She gave Hornet a place to stay and food like any other mother. She was not, however, Hornet's mother. She supposedly knew her mother well and had given Hornet her mother's treasure, a necklace.

The necklace was a thin, silver chain that glittered with a small animal. Hornet didn't know what it was. The figure was slightly rusted from being worn for so long. It had wings for certain and was probably some kind of bird. What confused Hornet was that the bird had four legs. The front two were a normal pair of bird claws but the hind legs were more beastlike. Also the tail of the animal was definitely not a bird's feathered tail.

"Wait!"

Hornet whipped around satchel in her hands and she swung. _Not another half-whatever it is._

The satchel collided. The person fell to the ground. It was Scipio.

"Oh my…!"

Hornet dropped to the ground and shook his shoulder. He didn't stir. Whatsoever. Oh, great.

She tried everything. She shook him more. She pinched him. She slapped him gently on the cheek. He might have been dead for all the response he gave her. She stood exasperated.

This was going to be a long journey back to the house.

The doorbell rang. It reverberated inside the house and Hornet sighed when Mrs. Bumble finally opened the door.

"Hornet! Oh my, who is this?"

"Um…A friend…You might say," grunted Hornet as she pulled the limp figure inside.

"How did you ever drag him all the way here? Why is he-? Dead?" finished Mrs. Bumble in a whisper.

"No…out cold. Uh, mind if he stays for the night?"

"I guess I don't have a choice do I?"

"Guess not."

Hornet managed to bring him to her room on the second floor. Now that she thought of it, it must have been a miracle.

She stared at his handsome face, thinking. _Where were his parents? His partner who was supposed to be with him?_

He moaned slightly and Hornet jumped away, on her guard. He lapsed into silence.

_That's weird. Where is his partner?_

His partner, as Hornet put it, was now limping along the deserted alleyways, cursing his luck.

The motionless body of the little boy called Conner was draped over his shoulders like a shawl. He had put up a good fight and now Henry was lost and had hurt his leg.

He cursed again and took an abrupt left turn. _Where in the world was he?_

Like many Phoenixians, he came from a poor family and was brought up very strictly. Phoenixians were a band of people who would take the half-inferiai in an attempt to find an antidote for the terrible elixir that took so many souls from people…So many souls from people who were destined to become inferiai.

Henry sweated profusely and rested his tired body against the wall. His leg hurt like hell. Where was Scipio? Probably eat his face out while Henry spent the night wandering the maze of alleyways.

Scipio, unlike Henry, knew the alleyways like people knew one plus one was two. He was raised by the alleyways and as a child, loved to play in them. Henry was a more quiet type. Not loud and outgoing as Scipio. Scipio loved to startle people with that mask of his.

Henry laughed to himself, hefted the little boy over his shoulders, and continued. It was now about eleven thirty. He sighed and stopped. He just couldn't go on. Then, an alarm in his head sounded.

A small sound repeated to his right. Footsteps. Henry eased himself up warily and pressed himself to the wall in a futile effort to conceal himself in the shadows.

A warning bell sounded in his head and he swerved to the side. An instant later a fist landed hard on the wall where his face had been.

"Too bad," he commented and took his attacker's hand. He flipped him over. The man screamed out.

Only then did Henry realize he was surrounded, by half-inferiai. He counted under his breath. Ten. Ten of them against one of him (not counting the dazed man on the ground and the child on his shoulders).

"Oh, crap" he swore and braced himself.

"Innocent prey walking around in the dark? It seems we have another to add to our ranks," hissed the man in the middle. "Come with us silently and you won't get hurt."

"I accept your challenge," grinned Henry. "Bring it on!"


End file.
